LAKEWOOD, NJ- In their first meeting since the 2009 CACC Championship Game, the Georgian Court University softball squad and Caldwell College, perennial conference foes and regional juggernauts, renewed their rivalry under blue skies Thursday afternoon. The visiting Cougars got the best of the host Lions in the opener, 7-1. However, GCU came out victorious in the nightcap, 6-5, a see-saw battle ended on a Melissa DePalma knock in the eighth.

GAME ONE

With one out in the top of the third, LF Katie Margiotta (So.-Sewell, NJ) laced a triple down the left field line.She would later score on a Dia Cascone (Fr.-Staten Island, NY) sacrifice fly, giving the Cougars an early 1-0 lead.

Errors would hurt the Lions in the fourth as Caldwell's first two batters of the frame, 1B Kyrie Timbrook (Sr.-Los Gatos, CA) and 3B Maris Tamez (So.-Fountain Valley, CA), would reach on GCU mishaps. Rebecca Ashley (So.-Bellingham, MA), pinch-running for Timbrook, came in on another sac fly, this time from RF Patti Garofalo (Jr. Collegeville, PA), after advancing to third base from first after one of the Lions' blunders.

The Cougars went up 4-0 with two more scores in the fifth, courtesy of RBI singles from CF Kelly Ryan (So.-Woonsocket, RI) and Timbrook. The lead increased to 7-1 in the seventh, courtesy of RBI's from Cascone, Timbrook and Tamaz.

Georgian Court's offense, after scoring 25 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Felcian College on Tuesday, could only muster one unearned run and three hits off reigning CACC Pitcher of the Week and winning pitcher, Brittany Pulido (Jr.-Ojai, CA).

Lions' ace, Diana Sansevera, fell to 16-5 on the year allowing all seven runs (6 ER) on eight hits and a walk. She also struck out seven.

GAME TWO

Caldwell picked up right where they left off,jumping out to an immediate 2-0 lead in the initial frame of the nightcap. Timbrook brought in SS Danielle Genovese (Sr.-Livingston, NJ), who had singled, with an RBI double to right. Tamez brought around Timbrook with a ribbie single.

Timbrook drilled another run-scoring double in the top of the third, scoring Cascone (hit-by-pitch) to make the score 3-0.

GCU cut the deficit to 3-2 in the home half of the third on a two-run, bases loaded double from 3B Kelsey Cutler before taking a 4-3 lead in the fourth on CF Jess Comiskey's 5th home run of the year,a two-run shot.

The score stood at 4-4 after five-and-a-half as the Cougars tied it with a Tamez single to left, scoring Genovese (hit-by-pitch) from second base. Caldwell regained the lead, 5-4, in the top of the sixth on yet another Tamez RBI.

The Caldwell coaching staff pulled the plug on the day of starting pitcher Kourtney Wilson (Fr.-Islip, NY) after six innings and relieved her with game one victor, Pulido.

The Lions promptly scored the tying tally, courtesy of a Rachel Ruch single, in the top of the seventh, which set the table for DePalma's shining moment in the eighth as she drilled a liner over the head of Genovese in right, plating SS Jen Tartaglia (single).

Pulido was saddled with the loss. Brooke Hull improves to 7-2, allowing five runs (3 ER) on eight hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched.

The Lions, the #5 team in the region, improve to 27-11 (11-3) while the Cougars fall to 25-11 (11-3 CACC).

Georgian Court travels to Orangeburg, NY Saturday afternoon to take on first-place Dominican College in a double dip.